- 7/4/2025
Hear us gab. ALL opinions through out video.
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00:00All right, everybody, we have Mary Sherina on the show, who is former Playboy Bunny at
00:10the London Playboy Club, and also the author of My Deal, How Playboy Raised Me From Poverty
00:16to Power.
00:17And we are going to go through a quick questionnaire, and her book is now on Amazon, so give that
00:22a quick peek, and we're happy to have you on the show.
00:25Mary, how are you this evening?
00:28Pretty good, thank you.
00:30All right, so I have a questionnaire here that we were mentioning before, and I would
00:35like to go through each question with you, so we'll just begin the world.
00:39So, what was the final straw in the camel's back, so to speak, that made you go, you know,
00:44I need to put my stories into a book?
00:48Well, there was no final straw, because over the years, I have been planning to write my
00:56memoir, because I really believe that my story is very unique.
01:01I doubt I could meet anybody who had walked in my shoes, so I always planned to write it,
01:10but life got in the way, so there was no straw or camel's back.
01:15It was just something that I had to do, and over the year, it took me a long time, but over a period of time,
01:24I waited for school to learn how to write, and here I am.
01:31Well, it's very cool.
01:33Your story's very unique and interesting, for sure, and I think you've had some very unique
01:38life experiences compared to some other people, so I also wanted to add, what have been some
01:44of the mixed reactions from your era when working as a Playboy Bunny coming from a different time?
01:50What kind of criticism did you face from family and friends back in the day, doing this?
01:57Well, if you've read my book, you'll know that my father particularly was not thrilled.
02:07He found out what I was going to be doing, but think about it, it was 1968-69, and there
02:15was no social media, and anything we knew about, anything somewhat different, only came in
02:25a newspaper or television, and even then, television wasn't the same kind of media as it is today,
02:33so one had scanty knowledge of what Playboy was, and even today, if I discuss this with anybody,
02:44there are people out there that haven't got a clue, or there are people out there that
02:48think Playboy is making movies and running around, like, they're portrayed a lot on TV,
02:55but my story, as you had found, nothing like, it was totally different, but in the beginning,
03:03my father was very, very reluctant, and my mum was the referee, and she basically, we convinced
03:12him, and Playboy was very encouraging for you to bring your parents into the club, so that
03:19they could see how it was managed, and that it was above board, and I think, in one of
03:25my chapters, I tell the story of how my father became an avid Playboy fan, so, but I did
03:33have detractors, obviously, because nobody knew what Playboy was, where I came from, I lived
03:40in, like, a country town, and, um, until I explained what I actually did, most people
03:48looked at me with horror, but I was quite a celebrity in my town, eventually, um, I was
03:57quite frequently in the newspaper, and the local girl, you know, makes good, you know, playboy,
04:04funny, in our midst, and everything, and I opened the first parking meter that we had
04:09in our town, and I did lots of crazy things, publicity-wise, and I think people became more
04:18aware of what it was, so, I imagine I probably had people that thought I was terrible, and I,
04:26I never really encountered anyone that gave me, um, any grief, I'm sure behind my back,
04:34perhaps, people did, but, no, I, I, I didn't really, um, encounter much reaction that was
04:43bad.
04:44Well, that's true, because of social media now, every day, you know, people could just
04:48have an opinion really quick online about certain things, so, I think, you know, behind your back,
04:54that might have been the case, I feel like, if this was now, because there's a lot of interesting
04:57stories from the later playmates and playboy models, you know, that, say, social media's
05:02kind of made everyone, uh, you know, they're a subject to criticism all the time, so, I
05:07guess, you know, TV and newspapers were the only avenue back then to really get the source
05:13of information, so, I definitely agree on that one, and I can also relate to being from
05:18a small town, and having some relations to playboy, and people talk about it, so, I also
05:24wanted to, also ask, do you feel when you were first starting out in the world of playboy,
05:31that people you knew personally, were they maybe secretly jealous, or, you know, that
05:35you were doing something out of the normal?
05:37Um, I don't know that they were jealous, there was no reason why, if they were jealous, that
05:44they couldn't apply and become a playboy bunny, it wasn't like rocket science.
05:49Yes.
05:50And I always encouraged people that I knew that I felt that might make, you know, being
05:56a playboy bunny, and, uh, I think what I need to explain to people is, the London Playboy
06:02Club was very different from what people know in North America, and that's one of the things
06:08I wanted to get through in my book, because London was the only playboy club that, um, had
06:15a casino, and in the late 60s, early 70s, the bankroll of that club actually kept all the
06:25other playboys afloat, that and the magazine, and, um, the American run playboys were basically
06:31cocktail bars and nightclubs. London was a very, um, well-managed, um, mainly casino, it
06:44did have, it did have a, uh, nightclub, and it did have a, um, uh, Super Tech, and it did
06:50have wonderful restaurants, but the mainstay of that club was the casino, and the casino was
06:56the, as I said, it, it kept the empire going, and it made billions.
07:04Wow, that's fascinating to hear something like that, you know, like, you don't hear these
07:09stories too often, so it's cool that we get to hear something very fascinating, because,
07:14you know, Playboy, we're all under the impression that it's this big brand, and who would have
07:18thought, you know, this casino in London was keeping it afloat, so that's very cool.
07:24So, when you wrote this book, what were some of the challenges you faced as an author getting
07:29your story out there?
07:31Actually, it came very easy to write.
07:35Originally, when I started writing, obviously, I didn't have the skills to write as an author,
07:42because I wasn't an author. I mean, my life, if you read my books, my life was mainly in
07:48casinos, and when I came to Canada, there were no casinos, apart from the charity casinos,
07:55which I did work in, but when I came to Ottawa, there was nothing, so I had to reinvent myself,
08:01and I did eventually get a job working for the public library, so that's quite a different
08:07job from a Playboy bunny, but I am a big believer in, if you want to do something, you can go
08:16out there, and you can find someone to teach you how to do it, and that's what I did.
08:21I went back to school, and I learned how to write, and I had some wonderful teachers.
08:27So, actually, writing the book, it was all in my head. I have an amazing memory, and I
08:32have to say that it slowed. It was no challenge. The challenge for me was making time to do it,
08:40because I'm a very busy person. I play bridge, I golf, I bake, I'm in book clubs, so it was a matter of
08:52being able to sit down and write, and whether I say fortunately or unfortunately, for COVID, that was
09:02the time that I actually knuckled down, and I got it written. It's always beating my head.
09:08Yeah, I feel like a lot of people got a lot more creative, and were putting out a lot of art stuff
09:15and book-related things during that time, because it was, you know, a lot of time alone inside,
09:20so I could definitely see where you were finally going, hey, I got the time now, we're all in
09:25lockdown, so that's cool, because when you really have a lot of down time, like during lockdown,
09:30you can really put more focus into the book, so that's very insightful. So, how long was the
09:36whole process of writing this book? Well, actually, from start to finish, about ten years, but actually
09:45getting it down on paper was during COVID. Very cool. So, I wrote freehand. I didn't do it on a computer. I don't
09:57process the stuff in my head as well with a computer. I tend to write it freehand and then put it on the computer.
10:07That would make sense, since you work at a library in your old school and want to do it from pen to hand,
10:12and it just flows more faster. So, I can definitely see that. So, my other question I wanted to ask as well,
10:19thought a little bit different of a note, but if you have any advice you would give to a young female
10:26woman going into the world of modeling or doing something a bit more risky to this effect,
10:31what would your advice be to them?
10:34Well, I don't know if I'd be able to give them any advice, because today is so different from when I was young.
10:40When I was young, the anything you wanted to do, you could do. If you set your mind to it,
10:47if I tell you I used to have a hobby of applying for jobs, because I used to love applying for jobs and
10:53getting the job and then I wouldn't take it. It was just a matter of, I wanted to see if I could get it and I was.
11:00One time I applied for job as an air hostess, or as you say, fly attendant, and I got the job.
11:09But you just, in those days you picked up a newspaper with the situation's vacant and there were thousands of jobs
11:17and all you did was like circle them and you picked up the phone and you said,
11:21oh, I'm interested in the job you've advertised, you know, when can I come for an interview?
11:26But nowadays, it's, well, you need a diploma to be a toilet cleaner.
11:33It's quite a different world for me.
11:36It's a very different world. And my advice is get an education, because you can always get a job making money in some, as you say, risky,
11:49but an education is something that you can always fall back on.
11:54I definitely agree to that, because I'm hopefully going to be going to California to study the law.
12:00So I can see what you're saying on that. It's always more of a guarantee by getting an education and a diploma.
12:07So that's very true. So, um, pardon me, sorry. Now go on.
12:14And also, it's, it's a different, it was a different era. I mean, God opened for people.
12:22It was after the war. And, um, opportunities abounded. It was so much easier back then.
12:31And today, I think it's very difficult because, as I said, you needed a diploma for almost anything.
12:39So, it was much easier in my time.
12:43Yes, it's definitely different. I hear this from another generation, from your generation.
12:48And they, they say that quite a bit. They're like, you know, you would just go into the job.
12:52And, you know, maybe you have to start working next week kind of thing just by talking to them.
12:56And now it's definitely a different energy nowadays.
13:00So, um, I wanted to maybe just get onto, uh, perhaps just a different subject of sorts.
13:06But I was curious, speaking of celebrities, in your opinion, who was the rudest or didn't come across so nice?
13:15Well, in my book, I tell the story of Kelly Savalas.
13:20If anybody is, I'm sure young people don't even know who Kelly Savalas is.
13:25But he was, um, he was a character on TV called Kojak.
13:29And he used, his signature was sucking a lollipop.
13:33And he and his brother used to come into the casino I worked in.
13:37And they used to play blackjack and I used to do blackjack to them.
13:42But as I, as I try and explain in my book, people parted from their money.
13:48And not necessarily the same people that walked through the door when they had their money in their pocket.
13:54So, they can be pretty nasty.
13:57I've been burnt with cigarette butts.
13:59I've been, well, Kelly Savalas at me when he lost his money.
14:04And in those days, there was, you, you just had to grin and bear it.
14:09Like, you would look to your supervisor and they just, you know, shrug and get on with it.
14:15So that's what we did.
14:16But, um, you asked me who that was, I imagine he was one of the rudest.
14:22Although I had, I could tell you plenty of stories.
14:25I say to Jekyll and Hyde, you know, one person walks through the door.
14:31A nice, charming, you know, gentleman.
14:35And then within an hour of losing their money, they become rather nasty people.
14:41So, but I have to say that there are people that are charming.
14:47And I used to do a game called Baccarat or Punta Banco to Omar Sharif.
14:54And he was charming.
14:55He was such a gentleman.
14:56He, even when he lost his money, he was charming.
15:00Well, it's nice to hear that you've had some positive encounters as well, not just rude ones.
15:05So that's very interesting to hear.
15:07And I would imagine I've seen that people at casinos, when they do lose money, they do get pretty aggressive.
15:11I'd imagine like very angry because they lost quite a bit.
15:14So I'd imagine you would have to deal with that frequently for sure.
15:19Yeah.
15:20I feel like your book kind of got overshadowed by Crystal Hefner's Tell All because it came out at the beginning of 2024.
15:27I wanted your opinions and thoughts on her and some of the other women of Playboy who write Tell All books.
15:34Can you give some of your opinions on that?
15:37Well, I can't say that I've read a book.
15:40I've read a few of these Tell All books, but it's like this TV series that they had on Showcase.
15:46It portrays these women as gold diggers, which of course they were in some respects, but I have a hard job accepting somebody coming out of the woodwork after someone has died saying that they were treated badly or this person did this to me.
16:07I think obviously because of my career, I'm always asked about the Me Too movement and although I think women in certain respects have been exploited.
16:23I never felt exploited.
16:25Nobody ever asked me or forced me to do anything.
16:30Nobody ever made me become a Playboy Bunny.
16:33I did everything under my own steam, so I don't have bad feelings about it.
16:39I feel that Playboy gave me liberation in many respects, financially, absolutely.
16:47And these women that are coming out writing these stories and appearing on TV, dishing the dirt.
16:56I think, why did you do it when the man was alive?
16:59Or why didn't you do it when it happened?
17:02You know, and obviously it's for money.
17:04There's no question about it.
17:06So, I mean, if they feel that that's what they need to do, do it.
17:11But I have absolutely, myself, I would never do it.
17:15I mean, as you've read in my book, I've been, I was in many situations where I could have come out of the woodwork and said, oh, why did you make me do that?
17:26No one made me do it.
17:28No one made me do it.
17:29I did it under my own steam.
17:31That's true, because there's other women that have said similar things that you just have, that they did a lot of this willingly.
17:38So, I can see definitely what you mean by that, because there's a few that have said that themselves, that they just did this on their own free will.
17:47And I guess some people have had good stories and some not.
17:51And I guess you're one of the ones that had a better positive experience.
17:54It sounds like you've really rose from a small town and got to travel around and experience some cool one-of-a-kind things.
18:02So, that's what I take back and appreciate from your book.
18:05So, I also wanted to maybe ask, what are some, something Playboy fans can relate to while reading this book?
18:13Hmm, what can they relate to?
18:16Well, I'm hoping that you, they can get their insight into the operation of Playboy and how strict it was.
18:24It was, well, as you probably read, the different scenarios that we went through.
18:32I mean, we were constantly being critiqued for how much we weighed, what we look like, how we presented ourselves.
18:43It was a constant battle.
18:45I mean, nowadays, you couldn't even ask a person to, say, lose weight, put makeup on, dress better, because it wouldn't be politically correct.
18:56But, obviously, the job that I took required you to look a certain way, and we had to keep that standard.
19:03And I have to say that, for me, Playboy taught me a lot about how to appear, how to present myself.
19:12To this day, I never leave the house about makeup.
19:15I really feel it's an important part of who I am.
19:19And I just, I think Playboy gave me a lot of good things.
19:26So...
19:28It sounds like you've had more than quite the positive experiences and reactions just being associated with Playboy.
19:36So it sounds like...
19:37Well, I'm glad to hear that you had a really good opportunity, and you really just wrote on that, and just were kind of free and open-minded.
19:46And I think any woman in your position would definitely do the same.
19:50So, like, and I definitely agree with everything you said.
19:55So, when reading this book, what was the reaction from some of your family and friends?
19:59Did you get good reactions and bad ones?
20:01Unfortunately, my parents are no longer winners, so I would love my mom to have read it.
20:08She would have enjoyed it.
20:09Oh, yeah.
20:10To be honest, I haven't had any bad reactions.
20:15I've only had positive reviews.
20:18I've got quite a few reviews on Amazon, and everybody who's read it just says, wow.
20:26They can't believe some of the stuff I did.
20:30And, as I said, it's a very unique story.
20:35I was in the right place at the right time, in the right era, and when opportunities were falling into my lap, and I had, fortunately, I had the personality to grasp them.
20:50I mean, not everybody, you know, of my era, who would have been put into some of the situations I was in, would have taken them.
20:59And I suppose I'm very fortunate that I have a personality that I was willing to attempt things.
21:09I mean, some of those things that I did back then, I would never do today.
21:13So, obviously, with age, you get wisdom.
21:17For sure.
21:18I definitely agree with that.
21:20You know, just, the older you get, you just live and learn in many aspects of life.
21:25So, I agree.
21:27So, I just wanted to maybe talk about being a Playboy Bunny, out of all the experiences you have done, traveling, working different parts of the world.
21:37What is one of the memories that stands out, or stands out away from all the rest of them?
21:44Hmm.
21:45Oh, that's a good one.
21:48I think, I think the memory that sticks in my mind the most is the Iranian ambassador to London.
21:59Because not many people have the opportunity to go inside an embassy as a guest of the ambassador.
22:07But definitely not people from where I come from.
22:10And the experience with him, and the experience of his gambling, which was phenomenal.
22:20I mean, it was, if you read the story, that story alone, or to me, it would put anybody off gambling.
22:30And believe me, I've worked in casinas nearly all my life.
22:35Like recently, I was working at the Rita Carton Future Hard Drop.
22:41And gambling doesn't change.
22:44Different people gamble.
22:46And, but believe it or not, I despise gambling.
22:51I have never, the only time I've ever gambled in my life was one time a boyfriend took me to Monte Carlo in France,
22:58gave me a whole bunch of money and said, go and play.
23:01If I'd have been smart, I would have taken the money, put it in my pocket, and just, you know.
23:08Instead, I lost it.
23:10And I, I just, that is the only time I've gambled, and I, to this day, have no desire to gamble.
23:18I see it as an absolute waste of money.
23:21You might as well put a garbage pail in front of me and say, throw it in quicker.
23:26I've definitely had my, not good experiences at the casino.
23:31I think after my first couple rounds of going to the casino myself, personally, I agree.
23:36I just, I'd rather just do something else because sometimes, you know, most of the time, like 90% of the time, you know, you lose.
23:44So there's the odd 10%, but it's very few in between when you do.
23:48So I definitely agree on that aspect because I, I don't ever go to the casino.
23:53And it's very interesting you say that because you worked at the casino in London.
23:57So, and I, I'm not surprised at that reaction either.
24:04Three things that's happening, you know.
24:07And I've seen people win a huge amount.
24:10Then I say it's money on elastics.
24:13Because if you win, you think you can win more.
24:15So you come back again, and you bring that money back, and you bring it back with interest.
24:21But it's definitely money on elastics.
24:24It's definitely an end of the cycle.
24:26Sorry, nobody in the end is the winner.
24:30I agree.
24:32So I wanted to maybe go on to, maybe, well, I wanted to get your opinion on something.
24:39Since there's so many scandals the last couple of years, like the TV series, Secrets of Playboy.
24:46In your opinion, what does, what do you make of those shows?
24:49Well, as I said, I, I, I guess, Scandal, uh, gets viewers.
24:58And, uh, I, I, I guess the, the Playboy name gets viewers.
25:07So I'm, I'm sure that's one of the reasons.
25:10But I, I wish somebody would make my book into a movie.
25:16Not just financially for me, but to get it out there that it wasn't all scandal and, uh, stuff that you see on TV.
25:27You know, so, I, I, I consider Playboy was a, a, a wonderful, for me, and for many girls, who I still stay in touch with, it was a stepping stone into our, our lives.
25:43And it taught us many life skills that, uh, I am very proud to have.
25:50Well, that's very fascinating, you know, cause there's been, you know, before many people have said they've had bad ones, but there's also quite a few people that have said they, they don't really agree with it.
26:01And they've had very positive outcomes that led to long-term financial stability and just experiencing, you know, a happier part of life, I guess I should say.
26:12So, you know, I definitely hear that from, you know, the media with the, the positive reactions out there from the positive story.
26:19Because the positive stories part of me, so, there's always going to be good stories and bad stories, I feel like, and, no matter what kind of aspect.
26:28They never tell you the good stories.
26:30So, how many TV shows have they had on, on, about how well people have turned out from their experiences?
26:39Yeah, I definitely agree with that.
26:41You know, in my opinion, just for example, like, The Girls Next Door, they all seem to live a very good lifestyle, and it all seems to be, you know, stemming up a lot.
26:48They all seem to be, you know, stemming from their association with Playboy.
26:52So, I can definitely see how it gets confusing for viewers, because, you know, you got the other 50% on hand saying that was bad,
26:59and another 50% are saying, what a great experience.
27:02So, I kind of feel like, you know, someone needs to come out of the woodwork, and, you know, I always lightly tease and say,
27:08maybe there should be lie detector tests just as a, just as a way to clear their name if they're willing to tell the truth and stuff like that.
27:16So, you know, I guess that's just my opinion on that as well.
27:19So, when you hear the word Playboy, please tell the audience what that word represents to you personally.
27:27I'm sure you mentioned it in your book, but maybe tell the viewers what the word Playboy means to you today.
27:33Today, it means nothing to really because the Playboy doesn't really exist.
27:39But, you know, for me, Playboy was a very big thing.
27:43As I say in the title of my book, From Poverty to Power, it empowered me to do the things in my life that I wanted to do.
27:50It gave me financial stability that I could travel.
27:54It gave me a career in casinos that took me around the world.
27:58I worked for the Shah of Iran on this private island.
28:01I worked on cruise ships.
28:03Basically, I could get a job anywhere at one point.
28:06So, it gave me what I have today.
28:12And I don't think I would be the person I am today.
28:16It gave me the confidence and it gave me many aspects of who I am.
28:24It must have been a pretty thrilling experience to feel and have a good, thrilling, positive experience.
28:33So, I also wanted to just, just a curiosity.
28:37Did you ever get a chance to be a Playmate?
28:39Was that something that ever maybe crossed your mind during the time?
28:43It's not up to you whether you're going to be a Playmate.
28:46I, in fact, I did, in my book, you'll read a chapter about when I did test shots for Centipoles.
28:54And in fact, London, well, if you look at the history of the Centipoles, there's only ever been one British Centipoles.
29:04And that was a girl called Marilyn Cole.
29:07And she did test shots at the same time as I did.
29:10In fact, I'm still friends with Marilyn.
29:12And she lives in London.
29:16And, yeah, I did test shots and there's a whole chapter on it in my book.
29:22So, I'm not going to tell you anymore.
29:24You have to read it to find out.
29:25For sure.
29:26I definitely think your story is a one of a kind.
29:29And for anyone interested out there, my Playboy fans and peeps, it's called My Deal.
29:34How Playboy Raises Me From Poverty To Power.
29:37It's by Mary Sharina.
29:39I'm just curious, some of the American fans were saying they cannot order it on Amazon.
29:45Just curious, side note on that, is it only available in Canada or something like that?
29:51I've had friends in Belgium, Spain, France, England, America.
29:59So, they obviously are not on the right Amazon site.
30:03I think you have to put on the Amazon site that is related to your country.
30:09In Canada, it's Amazon.ca.
30:11In America, it's Amazon.com.
30:14In England, it's Amazon.uk.
30:17So, they're obviously not putting in the right Amazon.
30:20They just had a fan mention to me today that they were trying to order it and they live
30:26in the States and they went on Amazon.com and I guess it said currently unavailable.
30:31So, I thought I would just give you a little heads up on that.
30:34But, I also wanted to say on a side note, very much appreciated.
30:39You're very gracious to come on my show and do this questionnaire and me give you an interview.
30:46So, I wanted to thank you a lot for coming on my show and tell the Playboy fans out there
30:51that if they want to get the book, it's on Amazon.
30:53It's a very interesting tale and it is quite the book.
30:57So, again, thank you for coming on my show.
30:59It's much appreciated.
31:01You're most welcome.
31:03Well, everybody out there that wants to get the book, it's on Amazon.
31:06And, thank you and I hope you have a good evening.
31:11Alright, it was nice doing the interview.
31:13Thank you very much.
31:15Okay, bye.
31:16Alright, bye.
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